BREAKING CHANGE: Period overlap resolution now merges adjacent/overlapping periods
instead of marking them as extensions. This simplifies automation logic and provides
clearer period boundaries for users.
Previous Behavior:
- Adjacent periods created by relaxation were marked with is_extension=true
- Multiple short periods instead of one continuous period
- Complex logic needed to determine actual period length in automations
New Behavior:
- Adjacent/overlapping periods are merged into single continuous periods
- Newer period's relaxation attributes override older period's
- Simpler automation: one period = one continuous time window
Changes:
- Period Overlap Resolution (new file: period_overlap.py):
* Added merge_adjacent_periods() to combine periods and preserve attributes
* Rewrote resolve_period_overlaps() with simplified merge logic
* Removed split_period_by_overlaps() (no longer needed)
* Removed is_extension marking logic
* Removed unused parameters: min_period_length, baseline_periods
- Relaxation Strategy (relaxation.py):
* Removed all is_extension filtering from period counting
* Simplified standalone counting to just len(periods)
* Changed from period_merging import to period_overlap import
* Added MAX_FLEX_HARD_LIMIT constant (0.50)
* Improved debug logging for merged periods
- Code Quality:
* Fixed all remaining linter errors (N806, PLR2004, PLR0912)
* Extracted magic values to module-level constants:
- FLEX_SCALING_THRESHOLD = 0.20
- SCALE_FACTOR_WARNING_THRESHOLD = 0.8
- MAX_FLEX_HARD_LIMIT = 0.50
* Added appropriate noqa comments for unavoidable patterns
- Configuration (from previous work in this session):
* Removed CONF_RELAXATION_STEP_BEST, CONF_RELAXATION_STEP_PEAK
* Hard-coded 3% relaxation increment for reliability
* Optimized defaults: RELAXATION_ATTEMPTS 8→11, ENABLE_MIN_PERIODS False→True,
MIN_PERIODS undefined→2
* Removed relaxation_step UI fields from config flow
* Updated all 5 translation files
- Documentation:
* Updated period_handlers/__init__.py: period_merging → period_overlap
* No user-facing docs changes needed (already described continuous periods)
Rationale - Period Merging:
User experience was complicated by fragmented periods:
- Automations had to check multiple adjacent periods
- Binary sensors showed ON/OFF transitions within same cheap time
- No clear way to determine actual continuous period length
With merging:
- One continuous cheap time = one period
- Binary sensor clearly ON during entire period
- Attributes show merge history via merged_from dict
- Relaxation info preserved from newest/highest flex period
Rationale - Hard-Coded Relaxation Increment:
The configurable relaxation_step parameter proved problematic:
- High base flex + high step → rapid explosion (40% base + 10% step → 100% in 6 steps)
- Users don't understand the multiplicative nature
- 3% increment provides optimal balance: 11 attempts to reach 50% hard cap
Impact:
- Existing installations: Periods may appear longer (merged instead of split)
- Automations benefit from simpler logic (no is_extension checks needed)
- Custom relaxation_step values will use new 3% increment
- Users may need to adjust relaxation_attempts if they relied on high step sizes
This commit completes multiple refactoring efforts and documentation improvements:
Code Structure Changes:
- Move round_to_nearest_quarter_hour() from sensor/helpers.py to average_utils.py
- Resolve circular import between price_utils.py and sensor/helpers.py
- Split api.py into api/ package (client.py, queries.py, exceptions.py, helpers.py)
- Split coordinator.py into coordinator/ package (core.py, cache.py, listeners.py, etc.)
- Move period_utils/ to coordinator/period_handlers/ for better organization
- All lint checks passing (no PLC0415 local import warnings)
Documentation Additions:
- Add docs/development/architecture.md with Mermaid diagrams (end-to-end flow, cache coordination)
- Add docs/development/timer-architecture.md (comprehensive 3-timer system documentation)
- Add docs/development/caching-strategy.md (4-layer cache system with invalidation logic)
- Update docs/development/README.md with cross-references
- Update AGENTS.md with new module structure and patterns
Smart Boundary Tolerance:
- Implement ±2 second tolerance for quarter-hour rounding
- Prevents premature interval switching during HA restarts (14:59:30 stays at 14:45)
- Enables boundary snapping for timer jitter (14:59:58 → 15:00)
Atomic Midnight Coordination:
- Add _check_midnight_turnover_needed() for race-free midnight handling
- Coordinate Timer #1 (HA DataUpdateCoordinator) with Timer #2 (quarter-hour refresh)
- Whoever runs first performs turnover, other skips gracefully
Timer Optimization:
- Change timer scheduling from second=1 to second=0 (absolute-time scheduling)
- Document load distribution rationale (unsynchronized API polling prevents thundering herd)
- Comprehensive explanation of 3 independent timers and their coordination
Impact: Cleaner code structure with resolved circular dependencies, comprehensive
documentation of timer and caching systems, and improved reliability during
boundary conditions and midnight turnovers. All changes are developer-facing
improvements with no user-visible behavior changes.
Home Assistant's hassfest validation requires config flows to be defined
in a file named config_flow.py (not a package directory).
Changes:
- Renamed custom_components/tibber_prices/config_flow/ → config_flow_handlers/
- Created config_flow.py as bridge file re-exporting from config_flow_handlers/
- Updated all import paths across 5 files (user_flow, options_flow, subentry_flow, etc.)
- Added ./scripts/hassfest for local validation (JSON/Python syntax, required files)
- Added ./scripts/clean with three modes (--minimal, normal, --deep)
- Refactored develop/lint/lint-check to use centralized cleanup (DRY principle)
- Updated documentation in AGENTS.md and docs/development/
Technical details:
- Bridge file uses __all__ exports to maintain clean public API
- hassfest script uses ast.parse() for syntax validation (no disk artifacts)
- clean --minimal removes .egg-info only (silent, for automated scripts)
- Dual pip/uv pip compatibility for package uninstallation
Impact: Integration now passes hassfest validation. Local validation available
via ./scripts/hassfest before pushing to GitHub. Cleanup logic centralized and
DRY across all development scripts.
- Introduced a comprehensive refactoring guide detailing when and how to plan major refactorings, including a structured planning process and real-world examples.
- Created a README for the planning directory, outlining its purpose, document lifecycle, and best practices for creating planning documents.
Created professional documentation structure:
**User Documentation (docs/user/):**
- README.md: Documentation hub with quick start guide
- Placeholder files for future content migration:
* installation.md, configuration.md, sensors.md
* services.md, automation-examples.md, troubleshooting.md
**Developer Documentation (docs/development/):**
- README.md: Comprehensive contributor guide with AI section
- setup.md: DevContainer and environment setup
- architecture.md: Code structure overview
- testing.md: Testing guidelines
- coding-guidelines.md: Style guide and critical patterns
- release-management.md: Complete release workflow documentation
**AI Development Disclosure:**
- README.md: "🤖 Development Note" section before license
* Honest disclosure about extensive AI assistance
* Quality assurance measures mentioned
* Invitation for bug reports with positive tone
- docs/development/README.md: Detailed AI section
* What AI handles (patterns, generation, refactoring)
* Benefits (rapid development, consistency)
* Limitations (edge cases, complex patterns)
* Quality assurance process
- CONTRIBUTING.md: Brief AI note with practical tip
**Updated:**
- README.md: Simplified to landing page with documentation links
- CONTRIBUTING.md: Modernized with new docs structure
- copilot-instructions.md: Added documentation organization section
Impact: Clear separation of user vs. developer documentation following
open-source best practices. Transparent about AI-assisted development
approach without being defensive. Scalable structure for future growth.
